‘A desperate plea from a desperate community’: Robyn Lambley calls for immediate action on Alice crime

ROBYN Lambley says now is the time for the Chief Minister and the Northern Territory government to act

• Mayor wants ‘pre-eminent Territorian’ to audit community safety in Alice Springs

“THIS is a desperate plea from a desperate community.”

That’s how Araluen MLA Robyn Lambley described the troubling story of Alice Springs’ rampant crime and anti-social behaviour, which aired on A Current Affair on Monday night.

Ms Lambley said the program was a well-balanced and accurate portrayal of the problems Alice Springs was facing.

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“I liked the way they interviewed a really broad cross section of people. I thought that was a really good representation of the community of Alice Springs,” Ms Lambley said.

Alice Springs Mayor Damien Ryan has called for the NT government to contract a “pre-eminent Territorian” to conduct a community safety audit of the town, then report back to Darwin.

While Ms Lambley said that was a logical solution, which took advantage of how the wheels of government turned, she was concerned about how long it would take to deliver and then act on such a report.

“More reports, more bureaucracy, more time wasted,” Ms Lambley said.

“Where we all know that if the Chief Minister spent time in Alice Springs and brought together a group of people like we saw last night (who were interviewed by ACA), the solutions are there.

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Braitling MLA and Shadow Territory Families Minister Joshua Burgoyne blamed existing bail laws for the crime.

“It is allowing young people – who should be in restorative programs – to roam our streets at all hours and is not dealing with the underlying issues we face in Alice Springs. Victims need to come first – every time,” he said.